This invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and, particularly, to a connector for terminating a flat cable.
A wide variety of electrical connectors have been designed for terminating flat cables or circuits, such as flat flexible cables, flexible printed circuits or the like. A typical connector for flat cables includes a dielectric housing molded of plastic material, for instance. The housing has an elongated slot for receiving an end of the flat cable which has been stripped to expose generally parallel, laterally spaced conductors. A plurality of terminals are mounted in the housing and are spaced laterally along the slot for engaging the laterally spaced conductors of the flat cable. An actuator often is movably mounted on the housing for movement between a first position whereat the flat cable is freely insertable into the slot and a second position whereat the actuator clamps the cable in the housing and biases the cable against the terminals.
Flat cable connectors of the prior art described above typically are either of the type that provides for low insertion forces on the cable when the actuator is in its open position or of the type that provides for zero insertion forces on the cable. Problems have been encountered with both types of connectors. With the low insertion force connectors, as the number of terminals increase, the insertion force increases and unacceptable forces resist the insertion and withdrawal of the cable into and out of the slot in the connector housing. With zero force connectors, the cable has a tendency to slip out of the slot in the housing during manipulation of the connector and closing of the actuator, resulting in unacceptable or defective connections between the cable conductors and the terminals. The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing a flat cable connector having different types of terminals in the same connector, whereby the insertion forces on the cable can be adjusted if desired. In addition, the configurations of the terminals, themselves, are of new and improved designs.
An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved electrical connector for terminating flat cables or circuits.
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connector includes a dielectric housing having an opening for receiving an end of the flat cable in a cable-insertion slot. The cable has an upper surface and a lower surface. A plurality of first terminals are mounted in the housing, and each first terminal has a generally U-shaped configuration defining a base leg and an upper leg. Both legs are fixed in the housing and define a mouth therebetween coincident with the opening in the housing for receiving the end of the flat cable. A flexible contact arm extends from a distal end of the base leg near the opening in the housing and into the mouth to a free end of the arm which defines a first contact section facing upwardly into the cable-receiving slot. The upper leg has a pivot section near a distal end thereof, facing the base leg. A plurality of second terminals are mounted in the housing and each second terminal has a base fixed in the housing and a bifurcated arm flexibly connected to the base and extending toward the opening in the housing. The bifurcated arm includes an upper arm extension and a lower arm extension having a second contact section near a distal end thereof facing upwardly into the cable-insertion slot.
The connector includes an actuator pivotally mounted on the housing for movement between an open position and a closed position. The actuator has a pivot section engageable with the pivot section of the upper legs of the first terminals and a pressure section facing downwardly toward the cable-insertion slot. In its open position, the actuator allows the flat cable to be inserted into the slot between the pressure section of the actuator and upper legs of the first terminals and the first contact sections of the first terminals and second contact sections of the second terminals. In its closed position, the actuator causes the pressure section thereof to engage the upper surface of the flat cable and bias the lower surface of the flat cable against the second contact sections of the second terminals while the upper arm extensions of the second terminals engage the upper surface of the flat cable and bias the lower surface of the flat cable against the first contact sections of the first terminals.
As disclosed herein, the pivot sections of the first terminals are generally aligned across the slot with the second contact sections of the second terminals. The upper arm extensions of the second terminals are generally aligned across the slot with the first contact sections of the first terminals. The pressure section of the actuator is located immediately adjacent the pivot section thereof.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.